Europe reels as repeated heatwaves cause chaos - CNN

More than half of this year's fires occurred in Gironde.

Wildfires in France have been especially violent this summer, raging across the south and southwestern part of the country while also popping up in the regions of Normandy and Brittany -- further north than is typical.

Fires have burnt through 41,400 hectares in France since June 10, a huge increase compared to the 2,040 hectares lost in the same period last year, the press office of the French Interior Ministry's civil security department told CNN.

Italy, Spain and the UK also suffering

In Italy, farmers in some parts of the country have lost up to 80% of their harvest this year due to severe weather anomalies, the Coldretti farming association said Thursday.

Drought has meant that the soil hasn't been able to absorb any rainfall in recent storms, leading to flooding and landslides, according to Coldretti.

Hail was "the most serious climatic event due to the irreversible damage it caused to the crops," the association said, adding that "in a few minutes, it is able to destroy a whole year's work."

The farming association estimates the damage to exceed 6 billion euros ($6.2 billion), equal to 10% of Italy's annual agricultural production.

Elsewhere in the Mediterranean, Spain's national weather agency AEMET has warned of high temperatures across Spain as the heatwave on the peninsula continues.

Heat warnings are in place in various parts of the country for Thursday, with the largest concentration of affected communities in Spain's northeastern regions near the border with France.

Temperatures are expected to rise to up to 40C, according to AEMET.

Most parts of the country are covered by heat warnings for Friday and maximum temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius are expected in the northeast and south of Spain.

The UK is also suffering another week of high temperatures, with the London Fire Brigade on Thursday describing the British capital as "tinderbox dry" as firefighters battle "unprecedented" increase in grass fires in the city this summer.